When You're Someone Else
by Rivers of Angelic Roses
Summary: Just a few Robin drabbles. I'm not entirely sure if they're one-shots though. No pairings, as of yet. Nor I doubt that there will ever be. Enjoy!
1. Secrecy

It was a hot, lazy day in the city of Gotham. The crisp refreshing wind was scarce, and most of Gotham's population was inside, cooling off under the shade of a building. The freeways that winded through Gotham were nearly empty, and in Downtown Gotham, no one was trying to mug a passerby, because well…there weren't any. It was a calm day, surprisingly. No accidents and the news station had absolutely _nothing _to report, save for the weather forecast and traffic.

Unfortunately, the circumstances were different for a certain sidekick.

He was tired, dead tired, actually. Robin, the Boy Wonder, sidekick to Batman, was practically the only person who was bothering to even lift a few fingers. Daily routines, he supposed. Once again, the youngest member of the Young Justice League was training. It wasn't _too _enjoyable, due to the fact that he was so used to the routine, that he simply just did everything on instinct. During this time, Robin spent his time thinking.

'_When will we ever get a new mission? It's been driving me crazy just having to sit here and wait for a good mission to pop out of practically nowhere!' _He thought angrily. Despite being a well-trained sidekick, you couldn't attempt to control the thirteen year old's thoughts, nor behaviors.

He jumped from the wire; trying to flip and land on his feet, as usual. The word here is _trying_. Instead, his foot had gotten caught on the wire the moment he jumped, causing him to get entangled. This only got worse. He had tried to think of a way to untangle himself and get down safely before Batman noticed. Once again, the word here is _tried_. The rope had snapped, causing him to land ungracefully onto the padded floor…headfirst.

'_I have a sudden feeling that today is going to be a __**very **__bad day for me.' _He thought as he gritted his teeth. Forcing himself to stand up, he felt that he had a large bruise beginning to form on his head, despite landing on the pad. _'This is just perfect. Now I have to go to Batman and explain this giant bump on my head that came from my own clumsiness!' _Robin groaned thinking of the outcome of _that _conversation.

He walked (more like staggered) to the door and lazily pulled it open, resting on the frame for a moment, his breathing labored. The quiet moments in this mansion were sometimes…unbearable. Sure, being a ward to a billionaire and a hero nonetheless, was exciting, but keeping his own name a secret, caused him to become…lonely. Especially since he saw most of his sidekick friends on a daily bases as Dick Grayson. Even worse, they were all friends with his secret identity as well.

They weren't the people to mooch off of a rich, spoiled kid. No, he couldn't see any of them being…greedy. Sure he was rich, but not so spoiled. He didn't have everything go his way like people saw in the movies or whatever. Robin was well, Robin. That was that. And Dick Grayson was Dick Grayson. The two were very much alike, only a few things were different. But the biggest difference?

One of them wasn't a superhero.

That was what set them apart. He was sure that his mentor/father thought the same as well. The Dark Knight was a completely different person in civvies. Robin knew _that _for a _fact_. If any of his friends found out his identity, it'd only cause a lot of trouble, and even _more _kidnapping. Robin was a sidekick to _Batman_,and a lot of enemies knew that Robin was the Dark Knight's weakness. They were like father and son, no, they _were _father and son. Even if Robin was adopted.

He'd never been kidnapped as Dick Grayson to torture Batman. Neither was it the other way around. He had been kidnapped as Robin as blackmail to Batman. He had been kidnapped as Dick Grayson as ransom to Bruce Wayne. That was different. But kidnapped as Dick Grayson to blackmail the Dark Knight? Never. Which was why he'd never spill his secrets.

Not even one.


	2. Liar

Mount Justice was as quiet as ever when he arrived in his 'civvies' outfit. It wasn't exactly laid back and totally letting people see his entire face. The only time that he didn't have his favorite pair of sunglasses donned on his face was when he was at school. That was when he was in his _entire_ civvies outfit. That was what always infuriated his best friend, Kid Flash, A.K.A. Wally West. Wally was an enigma; that was most of the puzzle.

Other than that, Wally was a pretty normal guy. Take out the fact that he has super speed, has a crush on a Martian, and needs to eat like every other minute. Kid Mouth, as Robin called him, disliked the fact that his own best friend didn't even seem to trust everyone enough to show his eyes. What was so wrong about trust? It was even more heartbreaking as Robin knew this. He knew that most of the team seemed to think that as well, excluding Kaldur and Megan.

The fact was, it was too dangerous.

Robin could think of a million ways to explain to Wally and the other members of the team of why he _couldn't_ tell his identity. Not including the fact that his mentor had told him not to. Either way, it'd still be a cry on deaf ears. They'd probably think of his explanations as silly excuses. Robin was actually grateful that Megan was polite enough not to read his mind or Wally was smart enough to take a hint as to _never _remove his sunglasses.

He remembered _that _night. His parents' last act. It nearly made him shudder. The blood, the sound of his mother screaming, the crunching of their bones as they fell in a heap. Robin was brave, he had been slightly mended, and he was even surprised that he could still even attempt acrobatics without remembering their deaths that much.

That was why he respected Batman, no Bruce Wayne as his savior.

If Bruce hadn't come along, Robin would probably be eating slop in an orphanage still. If he hadn't been adopted, Dick Grayson never would've become Robin, the Boy Wonder. And he was grateful for that. If Robin had been shut in an orphanage, he'd have never met his friends, or put his hacking skills to use; and he'd have never become strong willed and brave as he was today.

It was all just a silent thanks, that had never been said, but it was known.

Megan was baking, or attempting to bake cookies in the kitchen…again. The only person who could eat it was Wally, because he needed the calories to have energy and run close to the speed of light. To this day, Robin still wondered just _what _Wally could eat without gagging. He knew for a fact that poisons didn't really work, unless they were the type that paralyzed. Morphine wasn't helpful, because of his super-fast metabolism, so it had to constantly be pumped in.

Robin wasn't ever jealous. He did think that powers were cool and all, but he preferred to keep a healthy attitude towards his own strengths as a human being with no super powers. Simple as that.

"So, Robin, did you eat any breakfast yet?" Megan offered. This shook him out of his previous thoughts. He had to think for a moment before actually answering her question.

"Oh, uh…no thanks. I already ate this morning." He hesitated, seeing the…suspicious lump of food on the plate, which he figured would be overly burnt scrambled eggs. Megan seemed to be disappointed. "I am not feeling the aster today." He muttered to himself.

He felt a strange sense that he was forgetting something important. Shaking his head, Robin plopped himself onto the couch, watching the world outside of Mount Justice. Being a hero was what he was meant to be, even if he had to make sacrifices to become one. His parents, if they hadn't been killed by Tony Zucco, then he'd never be a superhero. Robin nearly growled at the mere _thought _of Tony Zucco. His parents' murderer, the one he never brought to justice…yet.

He was sure that fate was a pretty lame thing. You made your own destiny, and seeing the future only made changes. If that was how it was supposed to be, so be it. Even if it still burdened the young sidekick's thoughts, he would someday meet Tony Zucco again, face to face, and by then Robin hoped that he had learnt enough self-control.

"Robin! Are you going to _ever _tell us your secret identity?" Wally whined, pouting a bit. Robin smirked, forcing back a rude laugh that might've upset the speedster. And anyone knew that when Wally got mad, it was a _bad _sign for you.

"Nope. Batman says that I have to 'wait until I trust them'" Robin made air quotes as he said this. "And it's not that _I _don't trust you, don't worry. I trust you with my life, but he says it's too dangerous, and that I should keep it under wraps."

At this point, Wally was sure that he would go insane. The same lame excuses, the stupid mistrust, and most of all that idiotic fact that Robin _always _hid his eyes. Wally could've punched something at that moment, but he knew better. Plus, he might've ended up hurting someone…badly. Wally was going to try, no matter the costs.

But what the speedster didn't know, is that sometimes things are better left untouched.


	3. A Moment to Realize

Robin had had worse days. Then again, he didn't think that being thrown in the freezing murky waters of Gotham was a real good treat either. Gotham was a trash-filled city despite Bruce's help in cleaning everything up as best he could. Robin and the team were on another mission. Unfortunately, their opponent was none other than the Joker. He had put a time bomb, and Robin had barely grabbed Aqualad in the nick of time before it exploded.

Then again, Robin did have an inkling that being blown up and burnt was better than being the dirty gross water of Gotham at _midnight_.

"God! That was disgusting! I really should get some people to clean up this place." He sputtered, coughing out water.

"That is true. I would not be surprised if you caught some form of illness." Kaldur said, attempting to wipe off some of the disgusting slime and muck that had coated his skin and gills.

"We failed. The Joker always escapes. We might've had better chances if Batman was us." Robin muttered as he was beginning to make his way to shore. As soon as he reached land though, a mine went off, blasting Robin back into the water.

"Robin!" Aqualad yelled. A minute later, and the young hero still hadn't come up from the water.

'_There's…something choking my neck…can't breathe! Gotta get to the…surface…!' _Robin panicked. There was something constricting his airways, and he couldn't figure out what it was. And, not to mention that there was someone dragging him downwards…or was that his imagination? He couldn't tell, and for the moment, he'd just have to rely on his instincts as he struggled for air.

"_**Robin! It's Megan, where are you?" **_The voice of Miss Martian rang in his ears, but by now he was quite used to it.

"_**Sinking to the bottom of Gotham Harbor. Just cheeky." **_He replied sarcastically. _**"There's someone-or something- pulling me down, can you try to locate me through this mess?" **_At this point he was sure that he had a fifty percent chance of making it, and the chances were getting slimmer by the minute.

There had been more than a plenty of times when the situation was looking pretty grim for him. Once, Scarecrow had injected his fear gas in liquid form _directly _into his bloodstream. It had taken about a whole week to recuperate from that incident. The fear had grabbed a hold of his very heart, and he felt that he couldn't even breathe. When he had been dragged out of that world…he remembered seeing Bruce, asleep in a chair pulled up next to his bed.

At the time, there hadn't been an antidote, so both he and his mentor were recovering. At times, Robin almost forgot that he was a mere child. He'd been so wrapped up in responsibilities, that he had forgotten what it was like to be a kid. Until he met Wally. Kid Mouth reminded him how fun it was to be a kid, and Robin decided to change how he acted on missions with Batman a tad bit.

Robin was losing oxygen. Resorting to his last attempt, he kicked backwards, trying to hit his enemy square in the face or at least jaw. He figured that they could see him better than he could see though the murky water. _Wait…they can't see! They can hear my heartbeat, right?_ He thought. Robin nearly screamed when he felt a warm hand grab him by the scruff.

Luckily, it was just Miss Martian.

When he opened his eyes, he was nearly close to bursting out in laughter. He was relieved. Robin cared for his team mates, just as they cared for him. And he wondered how long it took for him to realize that.

His team always had his back, just as he for them. Always.


	4. The Whole Picture

Did heroes have their own hero? That question bothered Robin a bit. Batman was his hero, but then who was Batman's? It was a lingering question that had been implanted into his mind…by Wally. Kid Flash asked the stupidest questions at times. Then again, he did play with worlds in the English language. He couldn't blame Wally though; curiosity killed the cat, right? And then satisfaction brought it back.

He nearly smiled at the thought. Robin was in the middle of training, and he was surprised that he wasn't being kept on his toes by Conner. _Superboy not surprising? What kind of shady deal is that?_ But then Conner's next actions betrayed his previous thoughts. The clone swung a balled fist in his direction, clipping off a tiny fragment of his hair. Robin could feel the wind brush past his face. _If he had landed that hit, my nose would've been broken…again. _

He flipped backwards expertly, and in mid-handstand, he kicked the boy in the ribs with his steel-toed boots. The effect was immediate. Conner doubled over backwards, which gave Robin a clear opening. He hurtled back onto his feet, and jumped into the air. Robin soon was stretching his leg out, hoping to hit his sparring partner square in the back, sending the Kryptonian to the floor. On any other circumstance, Robin would've purposely aimed for the back of the neck.

But he couldn't afford that.

Hurting a friend would be like a sin to him. He was careful this time. Aiming for the boy's back, merely sending him tumbling to the floor, nearly unharmed. Robin was an expert at hand-to-hand combat, not to mention his gadgets and what not helped him out too. He was thankful for those. God knows how many times he'd needed his grappling hook to save him from a plummeting death. The spar was over.

Robin went to hit the showers. He didn't exactly like being all dirty and sweaty. This gave him time to think to himself, as always. Crime-fighting was practically his life now. There was no time to turn back, especially since he had come so far in the past four years. He had definitely changed…for the better. He remembered when he first started off, actually scared to hurt people. He was glad that he had mustered up his courage and saved the day.

Well…more like night.

He knew that Batman worked at night, though that caused _serious_ lack of sleep on his part. Robin did have school to keep up with after all. He considered school to be like a…secondary activity. It did get a little stressful because he had homework to do.

He was grateful for the mind of a pure genius.

But that didn't mean that he well-suited in English. Robin was more of a…mathletic person. Mathletic, a new word to toy with, huh? It had been his mother's habit; apparently he had picked it up in the nine years of knowing her. Now he wondered what he had done to deserve this. He was only thirteen! A kid, an innocent kid, who didn't need to watch his parents die. Robin had grown up too fast for his liking.

And that was when he saw the whole picture.


	5. Sweet Revenge

Gotham. A bit shabby, but nonetheless his home. Robin loved exploring the streets at night, fighting crime side by side with Batman. It was his life, and he was glad that Batman was always there for him. Batman, his hero, not one falter, but he knew that Batman wasn't immune to everything. He did have weaknesses after all, like any other human. Robin remembered when he was younger; he used to think that Batman was stronger than anything.

But soon enough, that picture had shattered into a million pieces.

He was there when Bruce had been shot in the arm by one of Joker's goons. Of course he was, at the time he was Robin. Joker was pulling off another bank heist, and they had been called in to stop the criminal at any costs. Except, he couldn't cross _that _line that Batman had drawn for him.

If killing meant justice, then why be a hero? You'd just end up being _just_ as low as a criminal.

That was one of his rules. Robin respected that, but when it came to certain people, he wouldn't…no, couldn't hold back. Tony Zucco, Robin vowed to have the man's hands cuffed and in jail. But at times, he thought that having his parents' murderer in jail wasn't enough. No, he needed revenge. It was something he dreamt about. Wiping Zucco off the face of the Earth would've been great. They say revenge is sweet, and Robin wondered if it truly was.

He'd just have to find out for himself then, wouldn't he?

But every time he heard about Tony Zucco or saw his face, Robin would _actually_ consider cowering in fear. There wasn't any way for him to forget how his parents died, because of Tony Zucco. That night, he'd never forget. It haunted his dreams and his nightmares, sometimes forbidding him to sleep. It taunted him. He saw that every night, and at times when he was too tired or weak to fight against it, he'd stay awake, in fear of seeing it again.

And he was sure that he'd never be able to rest peacefully. Not until Zucco had been put behind bars.

For now, Robin couldn't kill anyone. Even if that meant that it was Zucco. He considered it, filled with rage, and sometimes nearly had panic attacks. Zucco was going to be brought to justice, no matter what Robin had to do to find him. The murderer loved hiding under the radar, and even if the man didn't know it, Robin felt as if he was teasing him.

"Robin, what are you thinking about?" Kaldur asked, nearly scaring the boy out of his wits. Robin had a vague sense of recollection, and he remembered that he was at Mount Justice with the rest of the team, waiting for a new mission. The only downside to being a covert team was that you had to wait for the 'right' missions.

"Oh, nothing much." He replied wistfully. Kaldur nodded slightly.

"Robin, you seem to be troubled. And I am not one to pry, but I just want to assure you that all of us have your back." Robin nodded in understanding, and with that, Kaldur disappeared.

Robin would get his sweet revenge, but not yet. He had other priorities first.


	6. Overrated

_'Last words are overrated. They shouldn't mean something to a person like me.' _It was what he tried to convince himself every day. But he was wrong. They meant something; in fact, they meant more than someone could ever know. Those people that a selfish person didn't appreciate suddenly become appreciated after their death. Death makes you realize what you miss, and sometimes it was too late to realize what you had, because it was already gone.

For Robin, it was the same.

He cared about his parents, but he didn't fully appreciate them until they were murdered. At that point, he realized…just how lonely the world was without them. Robin sat on his haunches, glaring at the wall. He was trying to find some meaning to why their words affected him so much.

Funny thing was, he couldn't.

He could compare his parents' as rain. When they fell into a puddle, they always left ripples. And he supposed that was what set him and the rest of the world apart. Because the world moved on as if nothing had happened. Yet, Robin moved on…but he still remembered. He may have acted like nothing had happened, but of course.

You never could tolerate death.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Okay, first time writing notes to you guys in this story. I thank you for the reviews! I'm going to list all my loveable reviewers here:

Sififantasygirl

Cooliochick5

StarWarsGirl112

SuperninjaX

So, that's that. This chapter is short, and I apologize. I became suddenly un-inspired. But have no fear! I will become inspired for the next chapter!


	7. Damaged

White. White was all he could see. He felt lost in a sea of endless white. _Am I alive? _Was his first question. No, he had to be alive. There's no way that he…died. Robin tried to recollect his memories. _Okay, I remember walking into that warehouse in search for stolen ammunition. That's a start. And then, what? Oh…a bomb went off, courtesy of the Joker. _And that was it, he couldn't remember any more. That bothered him, a lot.

_What about everyone else? _He wondered.

Surely, they were worried for him, right? Why wouldn't they be? He was glad that he had gone inside the empty warehouse alone. _I hope that they're okay. I want them to be perfectly fine. _And then, he saw Megan come into his mind through some portal. It surprised him, enough that he nearly screamed.

"Megan? What are you doing here?" He asked. But all that came out were silent words. "Why can't she hear me?"

"Robin, I'm glad to see that your mind's intact. From that explosion, I thought that you have a severe concussion." Robin noted that there were tear stains around her eyes. _She must have been crying. _"Don't worry, even if I can't hear you I can read lips."

"Oh, that's good. What happened with the rest of the team? And me?" He asked.

"They're fine. No injuries." She hesitated. "But you were the worst out of all of us." Robin became bewildered. "A concussion, a few broken ribs, broken arm and leg, and there was…" She seemed ready to cry again. Getting her bearings, she tried to continue, "And there was a pole impaled through your stomach."

_She seems calm, but of course, she's gotta be panicking. _

"Robin, it's time for you to wake up now." Megan said as her image faded away. And that was when he woke up in a room full of white. Except this time, he could hear the voices of people and his father…Bruce. Bruce was always there for him, and that was what Robin admired about him. The Dark Knight never seemed to care about other people, but he did in his own special way. Over the years of knowing him, Robin came to figure out that the man didn't know how to express feelings that well. Bruce had a lot of difficulty explaining his thoughts when it came to 'mushy-gushy' stuff, as he called it.

Batman as a father's close enough.

Robin turned his head towards the window, looking at the world outside. It was the same as it had always been. Calm, bright, and peaceful. Robin liked that, even if that was pretty much a front for all the terror inside of it. He nearly smirked at the thought. _Where's the rest of the team? Hope they're close by._ Robin cared about the people he trusted more than anything, and if they were in trouble, he'd be there to save them.

It'd always stay the same, right? Oh how wrong he was.


	8. As One's Last Stand

Robin wanted to say that life is easy. But it wasn't. He wanted to tell them that everything would be okay. But it wasn't going to be. He knew. Watching a person die in front of you is horrifying. No matter that they are, nor their sins, was it still painful. Because he knew, that everyone was born without sin. And that was what made him realize…

Just how much one person could mean to the world.

Someone once told Robin, that there are no victories, only battles. And where you make your last stand matters, but it's even better when you find someone who will always be beside you, no matter what. He didn't realize this until he saw the light fade from his mother's eyes. That was his decision to make, and no one should carry his burdens. He was going to find Zucco, no matter the costs, and once he was found and put behind bars, Robin would make sure to visit week after week and ask him why. Why his parents? Why that night?

Because he needed answers better than money issues.

Robin didn't give a damn about money. He had lived on both sides of the scale, and there weren't any differences. Not one, they were all the same. You still had burdens to bear, both being wealthy or poor. He needed to know why, and there wasn't going to be any stopping him. Whether or not you make that last stand, it was always your choice. And the world remains the same. Battles lead to violence and gore, eventually everyone on that field has to make a last stand.

Even if they didn't want to.

That was the downside of being a hero. You had your last stand, but what mattered was if you were forgiven for the sins you made. And Robin his many behind his costume. Some were small, and others were secrets that should be locked away forever, and even so…Robin knew his rights.

But rights meant nothing without any sins.

When he got his hands on Zucco, he'd be sure to make the man pay for what he did. And Robin thought of that every day. His burdens, his sins, his rights, and his last stand. They were all going to happen at some point, and even so, what was most important, was who you had standing beside you.

Because an error must always be corrected.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This one wasn't as good I think. I had to write about this, because I had JUST finished the season finale of Castle. My favorite TV show. That one made me cry a lot. I would love to tell you guys all about it, but I'm too whelmed. Sadly, I must say that this story will continue…but it might not make a lot of sense. This one had no plot; I was just trying to ease my sadness of one of my favorite characters dying, and the other getting shot at the funeral.

Oddly short, yes. I was writing out my thoughts. This is a drabble, remember, and some of them might not have any plots. So, consider this as a filler.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, nor the chapter content based on concepts from Castle.


	9. Illnesses

He groaned and turned his head to face the door. His body felt heavy and weak, and he knew that it wasn't on account of the extra training he did yesterday. Yes, Robin was sick. Sicker than a dog as best. He put a hand to his hot forehead; he was burning up. That wasn't good. Several days before he had been tossed into Gotham Harbor…at midnight. Perfect. Not to mention that Gotham Harbor was dirtier than Wally's mind.

He was definitely sick. No doubt about it.

The only problem he was having was that he had a mission today. And he wasn't going to make it. Maybe he could suck it up and just go on the mission anyway. That sounded like a good idea. He dragged himself off the bed and landed on the floor in a heap of tangled blankets. _Great, now I have to get myself out of this mess! _He thought. When was the last time he had been sick? Ages ago, that was for sure. Maybe his hero nights of struggle had finally caught up to him. He was sure that you could get sick from non-stop lack of rest. _I mean, I train every day and fight crooks at night._

He needed to loosen up or something. Being a superhero in Gotham, he couldn't afford to get sick.

Robin pulled the blankets off of him and threw them onto the bed, not bothering to straighten them. He had a butler, anyways. Robin didn't make Alfred do all the work; just the work he couldn't do. You had to give the guy a break right? He was sure that Alfred didn't volunteer to be a butler in the first place; he just got stuck with that job.

He stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the tap for cold water. Then he threw a washcloth into the sink and watched as the water splashed onto it, getting it soaked. He turned off the tap after a while and picked up the cloth, proceeding to get most of the dripping water out. Robin put it to his burning forehead, relieving some of the heat trapped in his body. It felt good. This wasn't merely as bad as that time he had gotten stuck in the desert, with no memory.

That was a disaster. Emphasis on the _dis_.

Robin checked the time…it was already three. He had to be at Mount Justice by four. He got dressed in his civvies, hoisting a backpack with his costume and utility belt inside. It was definitely time to get on the R-Cycle. He hadn't remembered the last time he used it. It had been a while. He hopped on and revved the motor. _You never miss the sound of a motor purring, do you? _

He sped off, thirty minutes later he had reached Mount Justice. He drove up the steep hill and parked his motorcycle in the built-in garage. Robin walked into the living room, feeling a bit lightheaded, and his head was pounding.

"Robin! Welcome!" Megan said cheerily. The Boy Wonder swayed on his feet. _Am totally not feeling the aster… _The rest of the Young Justice came in to say their greetings. He started to see black creep into the corners of his vision.

"Whoa, dude, are you okay?" KF asked. And that was when the bird fell to the ground. "Robin!" He rushed over to his friend's side. The boy was burning up. "We should put him in bed."

"Right, we'll need a cool washcloth as well." Kaldur said calmly.

_Just be okay…_


	10. Under the Weather

Robin groaned as his eyes fluttered open lazily. His gaze wandered about; looking around he tried to redetermine where he was. _Fever...I distinctly remember having a fever, and I had decided to suck it up and go on that mission anyway. _He attempted to sit up properly and take in his surroundings. The word here is _attempted_. Instead, his 'heavy' limbs crashed back onto the bed, forever bounding him to the confines of the uncomfortable sleeping matress. _Dammit! Why can't I do anything? _He mentally...growled? _How do you mentally growl anyway? _

He needed to get moving, or just stay put. And only God knows that the Boy Wonder was _not _one to stay put.

His limbs felt as if they were chock-full of lead. Robin turned to his side and gazed at the door in longing. _If I can get out of here, then maybe I can actually pretend that I'm feeling good and go on that mission that I've been waiting for. _He lazily threw off the covers and swung his legs, with more force than neccesary, and finally got part of his body off the bed. He cheered mentally. _Speaking of beds, who's room am I in? _Last he checked, there wasn't an actual guest room for Robin to stay in...yet. Upon noticing that he could see the room quite clearly, he panicked. _My glasses! Oh god, they took off my glasses! They're going to figure out my secret identity!_

And that...was definitely not a good sign. It could've had the words, 'bad news' in neon lights.

What the sidekick feared was his friends treating him differently. That was what he was afraid of. He like the way he was treated, and secondly, he didn't want them to know of his past. They didn't need to, nor should they. It was simple as that. Sure, he was planning to do it _sometime_, other wise he'd just be a smart-alecky jerk who was so 'selfish' as to not reveal his secrets to his friends, because he was 'taunting' them. Of course, if you were to say that aloud, it'd be heavily dripped with sarcasm. A lot of sarcasm at that.

_These stupid thoughts are getting me nowhere! _

He stood up, and a second too soon, he collapsed onto all fours. Robin wanted to cry out and scream at his uselessness, but he couldn't. Otherwise, that's just prove that he _was indeed_ crazy. That was something he didn't want to experience. Sucking in his pride, he _crawled. _That's right, you saw that word, he, _The Boy Wonder_, just _crawled_ in a desperate attempt to get out of a _bedroom. _How much worse could this get?

The only other thing that would diminish his remaining male pride, would be if someone walked in on him...crawling.

That'd be the icing on the cake for sure. He finally made it to the door and grasped a pale hand onto the handle, slowly turning it. As soon as it was wide open, he used the handle as leverage and stood up on his weak legs._ Now we're getting somewhere. Literally! _Robin held the wall for support as he wandered through the halls of Mount Justice. Maybe if he was lucky, the mission hadn't started yet. Then again, luck hasn't been on his side lately. _Not feeling the aster. _He heard people talking down the lit hallway in the lounge.

"So, what's our mission?" Kaldur asked. He heard a gruff voice in wich he recognized as his foster father.

"You five are to go to Austin, Texas. Make it quick. There's been a few ongoings around there about terrorists...specifically the Joker with a few bombs." Batman cleared his throat. "And we _all_ should know that an insane clown with a bomb isn't good news. Is your mission clear?" Batman was answered with a chorus of agreement.

"But, sir, what about Robin? Shouldn't he come as well?" Megan asked.

"No." Batman replied stiffly. "He will _not _be coming with you, especially if he's feeling under the weather." The Boy Wonder could hear Kid Flash groan in disappointment.

"Don't complain. That won't change anything." Superboy said. "As always..." He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Kid Mouth asked, daring the clone to say more.

"Nothing." He replied 'innocently'. _They are not leaving without me! No way are they leaving me behind! _As the team boarded the bioship, Robin snuck in with his suit already on. This was going to be a fun mission.


	11. Puzzle Pieces

Robin's stomach lurched as the bioship swerved left and right. Last he checked, it didn't exactly take a million turns _just_ to get to Austin. That, or it was his imagination. Which he highly doubted. Robin lost count of how many times he had to swallow down the sour bile after about ten. He was _definitely_ not feeling the aster. Aster or not, he was on the mission anyway, so it didn't matter if he tried to quit. Then again, the Boy Wonder was one not known for quitting so easily.

He was trained by Batman after all.

At this point, if the Bat knew that he was on board the ship, which Robin had figured he already did, then his father would regret teaching him to never quit for once. Batman was an enigma in itself, and the only person to ever see the man be soft and kind was either Robin or Alfred. And that was even rare for them. Like he had said before, Batman wasn't the type to express emotions. Unless it came to someone precious being in danger or something like that.

"How do you think Robin's doing?" He heard KF ask. He was hiding in a drawer that held one of the many spare uniforms that each team member kept. Luckily for him, Robin was safely stowed away in his own. He was glad to be short and small for once.

"Knowing him, he's fine." Superboy replied smoothly. He knew that KF was slightly jealous of the clone's suave talk and behavior with he knew that Miss Martian had completely and possibly incidentally fallen for. Hard. It wasn't that hard to see the love triangle. Except when you were in it. Robin couldn't see Wally and Miss Martian together, but rather Artemis. There was that old saying, 'opposites attract'. Then again, he wasn't a love guru.

"True. It is most likely that Robin is already up and about by now." Oh how right he was. That was Kaldur's voice. For some reason, Robin found it uncanny on how the Atlantean didn't use conjunctions at all or rarely.

"I hope he is." Miss Martian's motherly voice said worriedly. Suddenly, the ship swerved and landed onto something abruptly. "We're at the co-ordinance." So they were already here? Time flies fast. Robin was worried on how extra keen his senses were. Normally, he probably wouldn't have reacted to such a landing, but this time he was a bit shaken.

He heard the team leave the ship, and he carefully pulled himself out of the drawer. So their mission was to stop Joker. With a bomb. That would be all too easy...right? Then again, Joker probably had a series of mechanical chattering teeth loaded with explosives just waiting for him. Not to include the laugh track.

He hopped nimbly from roof to roof. This was a piece of cake. That was when he heard a malicious growling coming from inside a building, followed by the sound of Miss Martian's scream. His nimble feet suddenly became lead. Robin peeked through a window to see his friends cornered by a bunch of guys, including Bane, injected with Titan.

Just his day.

Robin was hoping that he could at least continue this mission without revealing himself for the most part. The mission just started, and he had to go save his friends already? He sighed and launched himself through the window, managing to kick all five guys in the head, knocking most of them out.

"You guys are _so_ whelmed." He smirked before turning to his friends.

"Robin!" KF said in surprise.

"You're here." Superboy said with a hint of curiosity and surprise laced in his tone.

"Well, I couldn't miss out on this mission, now, could I? Especially since Joker's involved." Robin suddenly had a good hunch that Batman intended for him to arrive at the last second. Then it clicked.

Batman wanted to see how the team would do without him.

That only led him to more questions. Why would he want to do that? Was Batman going to take him out of the team? Was the team not good enough? Or was it him; was he not good enough? He shook his he, exasperatedly. It didn't matter now. He was here, might as well get this over with. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that his ears barely caught Artemis's warning cry. Robin ducked and rolled out of Bane's powerful punch. Bane was tough, and Robin knew that he needed help.

"C'mon guys." He said. "I need your help." With a battle cry, the team launched forward and attacked.


	12. Better Days

**Fellow Readers: **

I feel a little bad for doing this, because now I feel like a hypocrite. Seriously. Okay, well my stories are gonna have a vote. Which one should I update most, and what should I do for other stories. Okay, the first vote is going to be for the stories, which should I update first? I'm going to put it on my profile and let you guys post your votes on the reviews too. Okay, so the stories are:

1. When the Frost Thaws

2. When it Comes to Slaughter

3. When You're Someone Else

4. Murder Never Sleeps

5. A Chilling Threat

Upon listing out my stories, I happened to notice that most of my stories start with 'when'. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. And I actually had a plot for another story, but since I'm running on excess energy and on the late hours, I completely forgot what that plot was. And it was a pretty good plot, I remember that much. *sigh* I am a useless person today. Seriously.


	13. Right on Time

Hey, everyone! I've made a decision, and I hope that you enjoy my choices. If noyt, feel free to PM me about this. Though, it'd be a waste of energy, because I won't read it, and I'll just delete it like any other message that's practically useless and something that I don't want to read. Yeah, I'm evil. Don't blame me, it comes with the job. Okay, here's the order in which everything will be updated _weekly_.

1. When You're Someone Else

2. When the Frost Thaws

3. When it Comes to Slaughter

4. A Chilling Threat

5. Murder Never Sleeps

Right. If you didn't notice, they're practically lined up the same as when I listed them. In reality, there wasn't a real good point in this vote, I just put it to see how many of you were actually paying attention to my updates and to get my story schedule down. Thanks for participating, I'll be sure to never swindle you guys like that again. And for those who read my stories, and didn't even vote, get out of here, you're wasting my skills and a bunch of internet space.

Oh, and noted to my actual reviewers who are good and awesome! Cheers to you. I was going to update the first story, but then something weird happened. I'm at my cousin's house, and I am awkwardly shy about people reading what I write. I don't know why, but I am, and her internet is supremely slow and the 'guest' computer is like a dinosaur. That meant that it's really old, and won't even go to standby mode.

So, I wrote the next chapter, and it was awesome! I mean, best work by far, and unfortunately thanks to my cousin's dino-comp, it got erased before I had a chance to save it. I feel really angry, and that's not helping me, because I am super annoyed at my friend, and I have no clue why. He's suddenly really aggravating and makes everything seem annoying about him. He even said that 'stories don't matter' to me! Do you know how much stories matter to me? They're my life! I'm a junior writer, and he definitely said the wrong thing.

Plus my other best friend is going to Austrailia next week. He's my crush, just like in Phineas and Ferb. He's not completely hopeless, because I think he knows I like him, but we keep it all the same. Maybe that's why I'm so angry? I mean, being separated from your best friends is a bit sad.

Also, sorry about this terribly long update. I'll get the next chapter up soon, I promise. And hopefully, by then, I'll figure out what's wrong with my brain. Oh, and I am also going to be posting another story soon. Not a one-shot. It's a Phineas and Ferb story, in which poor Phineas has been turned into a vampire! I really need to get off the whole vampire subject, I mean seriously. That's not too normal for a twelve year old girl. Then again, I am a writer, so I suppose being a tad bit odd is part of the job. Yes,.I am really twelve. I lie on my profile because it's safety protocol for my family.


	14. Nigh to Memories  Not an Update!

Everyone else in the team just didn't quite understand why Robin laughed all the time. In danger, about to be exploded; no matter what Robin always laughed with that pixish or witch-like laugh. At first, it wasn't annoying or anything, it was nice to see him be happy and laugh. But as the missions got more and more dangerous, it started to bewilder his teamates. Why did Robin laugh?

No one knew, and if they kept asking, they would soon find out.

So, they started dropping hints. Robin knew what they were saying, and clearly understood that his laughing was either annoying or in-humane. But, that was Robin. He made the best out of everything. Making sarcastic comments, laughing, toying with words on a otherwise dangerous sitiuation; it made sense that his teamates would be slightly freaked out about it. He bounced up faster than a dog about to snatch a meaty sausage above its head. That was what he did to make the pain a bit easier on him, and his mental state.

He cared about his friends, and respected their wishes, but he couldn't drop the laugh. It'd be more trouble than it was worth if they saw that other darker side of him. Sure, he was as cryptic as he could be, but they hadn't seen the other levels. Just like that first somewhat covert mission at Project Cadmus, there were more pictures to see from the puzzle. Now, if only if they could understand why he laughed and made sarcastic remarks, it'd make his life a lot easier. Well, easier than it was at the moment. Robin was still wondering why Batman wanted the team to work without him.

Of couse, he didn't even bother to ask. Not even mention this to his teamates, nor the other members of the league.

In Robin's mind, most things were better kept bottled up. A lot better. For him, and everyone elses' sake. He knew how close he was to being the Joker. That was obviously a bad telltale sign for the bird.

"Robin, do you like to make jokes and laugh all the time?" Artemis asked. Of course, she was the most annoyed by his 'childish' laughter. Sure, it was childish for him, but afterall they didn't know what he knew. So, better to let them complain than see the absolute truth of how he really was underneath that mask.

"Yeah, why? Something bothering you about that?" He replied smoothly as he bent over and looked into the fridge for a can of soda. It was at that moment, Artemis felt cornered. Robin knew that Artemis felt that she had been caught, and had stepped over the line. Funny thing was, she hadn't. What Robin had a guess was, that she was slightly jealous on how he could laugh it all off so easily, and how he made his words smoother than silk.

"Uh, no...nevermind. I'll just leave you alone." Was all the archer said before backing away into the safe confines of her room. Oh, how the sing-song bird knew. But, if his teamates kept pursuing the answer, they'd get it all right. Yet, they'd never see him the same way again. They'd be scared and somewhat bewildered. Then again, Kaldur would probably put everything back to normal by giving a guessed reason, that was completely correct, and solve everything. Like the peace-maker he was.

Obviously, Robin had something called, _other objectives_.

But, no. They didn't see all the other pictures. Not even one, for that matter. And that was why Robin had a sense of mistrust against them. With his life, of course he trusted the people who had saved his life a number of countless times. His true self and identity? No. Not yet. They were almost there, if he could say nigh to their goal. They would learn sooner or later.

Don't ever misread a robin's song.

**Noted to Readers: **

This popped into my head after reading a fic about Robin laughing, and why he shouldn't stop laughing. It's called, 'Better if He's Laughing' by Ali-Th3-Ch3shir3-Kat. I love the story, and it gives a whole new perspective about Robbie to me. Nigh means almost, I think. If I'm wrong, correct me. This is loosely based off of that plot. Sorry, Ali, for taking the plot line and re-writing it in my own way without asking you! This will be a two parter. And just as I promised, a new chapter for the rest of the week until next time. I figure, get it done now, don't have to do any forced work later.

When I wrote down, 'don't ever misread a robin's song' I was referring to his laugh. Don't flame me for assuming that I think that you guys are stupid, because I don't! I really don't! I wrote the explaination so that if you guys didn't get it, and messaged me about that, I wouldn't have to explain later. Yes, I am really lazy. Okay, so when I wrote down that last sentence, it was referring to how the Young Justice team thinks that he laughs for fun, when in reality he laughs to protect those he cares for from his darker self.

If you didn't get it the first time, I hope that you got it the second time! Thanks for reading, and goodnight, since it's like 2:37 AM right now. I need to get back to watching Phineas and Ferb to study for that new story that I'm writing. Go back to last update for reference if you don't understand.


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